U.S.-Mexico Lectures Take Trans-National Look at Issues

The Center for U.S.-Mexico Studies has announced its 11th annual Lecture Series with presentations exploring economic geography, social inequality and the business of nanotechnology.

Rodolfo Hernandez

As in years past, researchers and professors from UT Dallas will lecture on both sides of the border. Roughly half of the lectures are given at UT Dallas. The rest are given at universities in Mexico.

“The lecture series has become a traditional mechanism to enhance the debate and analysis of the U.S.-Mexico relationship with an interdisciplinary approach,” said Rodolfo Hernandez, director of the Center for U.S.-Mexico Studies.

“One of the objectives of the series is to put together Mexican and U.S. scholars to exchange ideas and creativity in order to strengthen existing UT Dallas binational agendas.”

Berry, a longtime professor at UT Dallas and the former dean of the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, sparked geography's social-scientific revolution when his urban and regional research in the 1960s made him the most-cited geographer for more than 25 years. The author of more than 500 books and articles, he has attempted to bridge theory and practice via involvement in urban and regional development activities in both advanced and developing countries. In 1999 he became the first geographer and one of the few social scientists ever to serve as a member of the Council of the National Academy of Sciences, and in 2005, received the Vautrin Lud Prize, the highest award that can be bestowed on a geographer.

"Fifteen Years of Social Inequality in Mexico: A Sub-National Kuznets Analysis"Dr. Monica Brussolo

Monica Brussolo, assistant director of Institutional Research at the Collin College, obtained her Ph.D. in Public Policy and Political Economy at UT Dallas. Her main research interest lies in regional economic development and its spatial analysis. She has focused her work on examining inequality for diverse demographic groups, its determinants and the implications for social domestic policy in the Mexican context. She is interested on education and labor outcomes for disadvantaged social groups, and the effects of Latin American migration on segmented job markets for the American border region. She has collaborated with Mexican local governments in the definition and implementation of their economic strategic plans.

Francisco Servanco Aguirre Tostado

"The Nanotechnology Business Incubator of Nuevo Leon"Dr. Francisco Servando Aguirre-Tostado

The University of Texas at Dallas,Natural Science and Engineering Research Lab (RL) 3.204Nov. 4, 10.30 a.m.

F. Servando Aguirre-Tostado is director of the Nanotechnology Incubator of Nuevo Leon, Mexico, and professor at CIMAV-Monterrey. After his postdoctoral training with the Electronic Materials Group at UT Dallas, he occupied a research scientist position to develop more stable and efficient semiconductor interfaces for next generation integrated circuits. Servando Aguirre is author and co-author of more than 30 research papers and is participating in more than 20 projects related to nanotechnology product development.

Manuel Quevedo-Lopez received his doctorate in Materials Science from the University of North Texas. In 2002, he joined the Texas Instruments Silicon Technology Development Group as a Member of Technical Staff (MTS). In 2007, he joined UT Dallas as a senior research scientist, and in 2008 he was appointed research professor at the Materials Science and Engineering Department in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science. His interests include materials and integration issues for flexible electronics, including organic and inorganic-based devices.

Monica Rankin is an assistant professor of history at UT Dallas. She specializes in the history of Mexic and Latin America, and U.S.-Latin American relations. She is the author of !Mexico, la patria! Propaganda and Production during World War II (University of Nebraska Press, 2009) and Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture: The Search for National Identity, 1820s-1900 (Facts on File, 2010). She has also written several chapters and articles on various aspects of Mexican foreign policy, gender, and popular culture during World War II. Her current research continues to examine popular culture, gender, and nationalism in 20th century Mexico as well as issues of U.S.-Latin American relations in the 1940s.

The Center for U.S.-Mexico Studies at UT Dallas was created in 1995 in recognition of the richness of the Mexican-American past, as well as the importance of Mexico to the United States. Goals of the center are to provide curricula and exchange of faculty and students with Mexican universities, to conduct research and present lectures about issues of interest to both Mexico and the U.S., and to prepare individuals for leadership in the fields of business, politics, science, technology and the arts. For additional information, please visit utdallas.edu/research/cusms.

The series is co-sponsored by UT Dallas School of Arts and Humanities, UT Dallas School of Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences, UT Dallas School of Engineering and Computer Science, Colegio Mexiquense, Research Center for Advanced Materials (CIMAV), U.S. Embassy in Mexico, Autonomous University of Hidalgo, and Autonomous University of Yucatan.